Winter Wonderland

Just popping in with a quick post for a challenge on Mo's Challenge Blog. One of my favorite things about digital stamps is the ability to work with them in Photoshop. For this challenge, Winter Wonderland, I added Siku and Shiya on top of Door with Wreath.




I added it to the back of a monthly calendar that I made:

Feeling Scrappy and another James moment

Scrappy in a good way though! For the first time in two weeks I felt like opening up Photoshop in the afternoon instead of just taking my (now normal) nap. Maybe I'm doing the digi version of nesting? Looking around my house I think a more traditional nesting might be in order, but since my sciatica is getting worse the lower this baby drops, sitting on my behind in my comfy chair is a lot more appealing. Plus, I have online commitments... yeah, that's it!

Templates have become my friend lately since the basic design is all set out for me, which saves valuable brain cells that would otherwise get fried trying to decide where to put everything, and Sahlin Studio's templates are all on sale right now. For the first page I started with a template from the In Review: Modern set, although you might not recognize it now because it kind of evolved as I went.

I can't believe a year and a half has already gone by since these photos were taken. Peter has definitely lost that baby look, as well as most of his hair. Apparently we hadn't discovered the many benefits of the buzz cut back then! Now I know it's time to cut all their hair off whenever they wake up with bed head. Hey, if I'm going to have all boys, there should be some perks, right? I consider being able to get them up, throw some clothes on them and walk out the door a major benefit of having sons! Saves lots of time on Sunday mornings!!

Grabbed the camera and took a photo of Andrew baking away in there; thank goodness for the bathroom mirror. I tried just holding the camera out to my side, but my arm didn't seem to be long enough anymore! We are so ready to welcome this baby into our family... these last few days seem to be dragging by so slowly. I think the boys are starting to doubt that he'll ever arrive.

Okay, so my James moment...

The boys were sitting around the breakfast table this morning, happily consuming donuts (I know, I'm a bad mom) that Simon had brought home from work yesterday, when the proverbial lightbulb went on above James's head...

him: Mom, I have an idea. Let's pretend this is a restaurant.

me: mmm-hmmm

him: You can be the cooker person...

me: the chef

him: yes, the chef, and the boys and daddy can sit at the dining room table

me: mmm-hmmm

him: then you can bring us a list and we can look at it (pretending like he's scanning a menu) and then tell you what we want, and you can cook it and bring it to us

me: uh-huh, well that's an idea all right

Chief chef, diaper changer, bottom wiper, maid, and comforter of all kinds of injuries... that's me! But, all in all, it's a pretty good job and I wouldn't trade it for the world (most days!) Check back with me in a couple of months when I won't even be able to remember the last time I slept through the night!

Card Patterns

The Hybrid Chick Card Caravan decided to play along with Sketch 78 at the Card Patterns blog this week. The sketch was pretty simple this time and that suited me just fine because with only three weeks until my due date, energy seems to be at a premium! In fact, I've taken advantage of the boys' nap time the past couple of days to take a nap myself, and I'm not normally a nap girl. So, on to my card...



I used Your Mother, a digital kit collaboration between Pixel Gypsy & Dysfunctional Design, available at The Digichick for my patterned papers and sketchy flower image, printed on Red River Paper Polar Matte Double-Sided which is thick enough to be used as a card base. The cardstock matting is DCWV, the ribbon came from Michaels, the clear buttons are Autumn Leaves, backed with pieces printed from the digital kit, and the font is CK Noah.

Be sure to stop by the Hybrid Chick Caravan Facebook page tomorrow for all the rest of the girls' cards!

Bit of Everything

Well, my friend Shen over at CatScrap talked me into trying my hand at a bit of hybrid design of my own, so you can now find my shop, Paper Crush Studio, there. You have no idea how I agonized over the name and logo!!




I think she's pretty cute; and she looks just like me (well, minus the eight-month pregnant baby belly anyway!!) There's a free sample in my shop, and I've started a design blog and am hosting a chance to win a gift certificate there, so please come check it out if you're so inclined!

Paper Crush Studio blog

That's been taking up a good bit of my available "craft" time the past couple of weeks, but I did find a bit of time to do some scrapping too. With Simon traveling for work this week, it's hard to go to bed at my normal hour so I tend to stay up too late!



and a couple of cards...


One last thing... there's a CatScrap blog hop tomorrow to celebrate the 4th anniversary of the shop, so make sure you stop by the CatScrap blog tomorrow to collect all the beautiful quickpages. I'll have a greeting card printable for my contribution, but I'll be hosting it on the other blog. :)

Making Some Cards

I seem to be in a card-making mood lately. In fact, I've probably put together more cards in the past three weeks than I have in months. Card making is really where this whole crafting addiction started, and I seem to be returning to my roots these days. In fact, I have a fun new venture that I'm embarking on this week... but more about that in another post!

Some of the girls over at The Digichick have put together a Facebook group called the Hybrid Chick Caravan and have invited me to play along. Basically it's just participating in various card sketches and challenges around the blog world using digital papers and elements from The Digichick shop, along with whatever traditional crafting supplies you happen to have. Pretty much right up my alley!!

This week I happened across a fun sketch on The Sweetest Thing blog and decided to play along. Here's the card I made:


I'm loving the excuse to pull out the colored pencils and play again!! I'm sure you'll be seeing more from me in the days to come!

__________________________________________

What's in it?

papers and elements from Just a Girl collab by Sugarplum Paperie & Laura Banasiak
little girl stamp is by Gorjuss - Sent With Love
ribbon is Basic Grey
cardstock base is Bazzill

ink is Versafine

Prismacolor pencils & gamsol to blend

Glamour Dust glitter
sketch is SSSC80

CatWalk Blog Hop

I'm so excited to participate in my first Blog Hop as part of the CatScrap creative team. A group of us girls have each made some quickpages for you all to celebrate the arrival of the 2010 Summer CatWalk collection. You can find the links for the ones I made below the previews. They are completely different styles, so feel free to grab the one that appeals to you most, or take both; it's totally up to you!



DOWNLOAD HERE



DOWNLOAD HERE


If you just happened upon my blog by some random chance, you'll want to start at the CatScrap blog so you don't miss out on any of the goodies. If you've come from Claire's blog then you're on the right track and your next stop will be Lex's blog --- HERE.

Don't forget to stop by the chat at CatScrap tonight if you can. There's sure to be fun and prizes in store!!


On to the next stop on the hop and ENJOY!!

my dreams v. my reality

I can't believe it's been six months since I posted anything on the blog. There just doesn't seem to be enough time to keep up with everything. In my dreams, I'm able to keep the house perfectly clean, be a patient and creative first grade teacher for James, cook gourmet and healthy meals for the family, craft in my free time and blog about it, and sail through the third trimester of pregnancy with grace and composure. In reality, I have a sink full of dirty dishes that I'm ignoring in order to blog right now. There's no way I can cover all that's happened in the last six months, so I figured I'd just hit the highlights and pick up where we are now.

As far as Project 365 goes, I just about finished January and then barely picked up the camera until April. In fact, I didn't take any photos at all in March. I decided I'd go ahead and scrap what I do manage to take this year anyway, so here's January & February's pages (as always, click to see credits)...


In the past couple of weeks, I've picked up my camera more to try to capture the craziness that is the Pranaitis family. I can hardly believe that we're only three months away from adding another boy to our motley crew. Simon already calls me the "token female" of the family! It's a position I really enjoy for the most part. The weeks when he's working out of state are always hard, but they make me even more thankful for the days he's home. Two months ago we were on our way to some event and were (miraculously) ready about 20 minutes early so we grabbed the tripod and took some family photos on self-timer. The 20 minutes consisted of me pushing the button to start the 10 second countdown, then rushing back to the front porch steps to try to get settled before the photo was taken. We only got one decent photo, and it would never win any awards, but I'm so happy we made the effort because I know we can never get these days back. The photo:

and one of the photos I snapped while I was trying to get the settings right...

Yep, these are my boys!

Okay! I'm off to go tackle those dishes. I really am hoping to get back to blogging more regularly though. I seem to have finally gotten a bit of energy back!

01.04.2010

01.04.2010 . the christmas angel


I had created a blog last year for my P365 photos which I never used... so I decided I'll start using it this year. My daily photos will be here now: justJess | Project 365, although I might occasionally post a favorite at both blogs.

I'll be back later with a fun hybrid project!

01.03.2010

Peter finally figured out how to blow out... every time he made this little party favor inflate, he'd let out a giggle and stomp his feet in glee!

Project 365... Days 1 & 2

Never one to be too discouraged by past failure, I've decided to try to keep up with Project 365 again this year, taking one photo a day. I don't even remember how long I made it last year, but we'll see how this year goes.

01.01.2010


We spent New Year's Day in the car, driving home from CO after our halfway stop in Utah. The snow lasted for well over half the trip and I rolled down the window and snapped some photos while we were cruising along the highway.


01.02.2010


While we were gone, we had our closet redone so I got to come home to a much more organized clothes storage system. Having a new-found love for scarves, I was very excited to finally have a place to keep them, so I took a quick photo while I was unpacking everything.

Bellarific Friday

Just a quick post with my card for the last Stamping Bella challenge of the year. We were supposed to use stitching somewhere on the card, and even though faux stitching was allowed, I pulled out my sewing machine and gave it a whirl. I think I'm slowly getting better at it, but there's no way I'd show you the back of the stitched circle. It's pretty ugly... maybe I have the wrong kind of needle for stitching through cardstock?



I'm so glad it's Friday! We're off to see Christmas lights this weekend, and I have just a bit of gift buying left to do, and lots of wrapping and maybe even a bit of Christmas card making. Time to turn on the Christmas tunes and get to work!

bump...

That was me falling off the Project E bandwagon. I would still love to do something like this, but I just don't have time every day to scrap. So maybe for 2010 I'll do it once or week or something. I did do one more page before I hit the ground...



There's nothing quite like a clean set of cozy flannel sheets and a pair of pretty pink jammies, especially when it's cold outside!!

Bella Birthday Bash Hop

Welcome to the Bella Birthday Bash Blop Hop sponsored by Stamping Bella! If you've just happened upon my blog, you can CLICK HERE to start from the beginning at Bloggabella.

For my card I colored up Poppy Bittybloom using Prismas and gamsol to blend and then added a bit of sparkle with some glitter and a couple of Heidi Swapp jewels in the corner.



Three gift certificates for $100 in Bella Bucks will be hidden along the hop, but we’re not telling you where so be sure to leave some love as you hop!!! Make sure you leave comments on every post so you have a chance to win!! The winners will be announced on Monday, December 7 at the Stamping Bella Blog. MWAH!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Now it's time to hop on over to another Jessica's blog Farm Fresh Designs and see what crafty goodness she has for you!

Project E and John's Birthday

I came across a challenge to think of one positive thought a day and scrap it if you can that intrigued me. While I'm not much a believer in the power of positive thinking, I do believe in counting my blessings, especially on those days that I feel prone to grumbling. So here are some of the first pages that I've done for this project, called Project E for "essence of the day."

Working on Awana verses with the boys... I'm always amazed at how easily they are able to memorize the Bible.


Another week where Simon was traveling, and yet it gave me opportunity to get together with a friend whose husband was also gone.


Even though he's 1000's of miles away, I can still talk to my hubby!


This page isn't for project e, but is definitely a page full of thankfulness for one of my biggest blessings.

This little guy turned three this week... where does the time go? I still remember the first time I held him. (He's gotten a LOT bigger since then!)
Here he is blowing out his candles and probably getting some spit on the cake at the same time:

Cake was his one birthday request... the last family party we just had cookies and I think he felt like it wasn't really a celebration without cake! So when I saw this digital image from Mo's of the hamster stuffing his cheeks with cupcake, I knew it was perfect!


Well, I'd better get moving because I still have a sink full of dirty dishes and we're having 15 people over tonight for dinner! I need a house-cleaning fairy... if anyone has one, can you send her my way?

some new friends

came to play at my house last week...



These cute little Gorjuss girls were on sale and flew all the way from Scotland to hang out and color with me. I've been happily stamping, coloring, making cards and other projects as I find time during the week. We even rearranged our office space so that there was more room for me to craft down there in the evenings and still be with Simon while he works on his seminary studies. This is what my desk looked like last night... I have so many different projects going that it's hard to find space to work anymore. I guess it's time to clean up!



I made a card for the Sugarbowl challenge blog (now that I have some stamps to play with, I figured I might as well have a shot at some free goodies! You can see the sketch on the Sugarbowl blog, and here's my card:

Custom Doodle Contest

Just thought I'd pop in to let you know about a contest Kate Hadfield is running on her blog right now. Image is linked to her blog so you can go enter to win some custom doodles:



And a quick card I put together with her latest doodle pack.


On a side note, my latest hybrid project is up on the Hybrid Chick blog today if you want to go check it out...

Crazy Hair Night

Last week was crazy hair night at the Awana club that the boys go to. And of course there's a funny story that goes with it! Three weeks ago James came home that Sunday night and told me that the next week was "crazy hair night" at the club. Indeed, I had seen on the schedule for the year that this date was coming up, and so when the next Sunday rolled around, we got James and John up from their naps and trundled them into the bathroom where we applied various gels and hairsprays in an attempt to get their hair to stand straight out from their heads. Their hair was pretty long at this point because I had not cut it on purpose, just for this night, and the effect was pretty impressive I must say. Then we loaded them up into the car and headed off to church. As we pulled into the parking lot, I started looking around (to size up the competition for the craziest hair award) and what should meet my eyes? Normal hair everywhere I looked! That's right... not a single crazy head in sight, except for my two goobers in the back seat. Apparently James was off by one week; NEXT week was crazy hair night. Well, there was nothing to do but swallow my pride and send them in, looking like complete goofballs. We were all practiced up for next week though... and here was the result:


And you know I had to scrap it!!

(image is linked)

So there ya go! Crazy Hair Night, take 2!!

The Craft Stuff

Some recent pages and projects that I've been up to...

Two more months and two projects for The Hybrid Chick blog, and I'm already working on my next post for November (me? work ahead? hard to believe, isn't it! Usually I'm writing the post and editing the photos late into the night before the day it's due. This time I've sworn that I'll get it done early though!)

I've also been doing my hybrid projects for Shabby Pickle. The frame is sitting on my piano right now, a reminder when I start to worry that God is sovereign and knows exactly what I need. The little jewelry box came out so cute and I was trying to decide what to put in it and who to give it to, but unfortunately I left it sitting on the dining room table and one of the boys must have found it. It did not survive. Ah well... that's the beauty of hybrid. If there comes a time I need another box, I can just print one more out.

I have been scrapping as I get the chance, although I haven't been as good about taking photos lately so I'm starting to run a bit low on material. (Mental note to self: get out the camera tomorrow and use it!) Kate asked me if I would stay on her team after my guest spot was up and of course I had to say yes. I've been having so much fun scrapping and crafting with her goodies. Here is Simon, my math & physics nerd; a birthday card for my big five year old; and a page about my Grandma. The last two are also from the trip we made in May to see my family in New England. The photos might seem like just a little moment, but each of the pictures I have of my grandparents and my boys together is special to me. I want to be able to capture these memories for them so they can look back and see how much they are loved by their great-grandparents.

Some pages with Creashens goodies... my sweet, sleeping Pete; a redo of a page that I'd done three months after I discovered digital scrapping back in 2008 (here's the original); and me with my new fall haircut. It's wonderful having a hairdresser in the family!!

And, of course I'm still scrapping with Nicole's wonderful designs. The first page is some photos of John and me the day we left for India; then my sweet little niece, and finally a page with a mix of (mostly) goodies from the Digichick for the last speed scrap there.

Whew!! Are you totally crafted out?? I am! At least for tonight. I'm sure I'll find some more creative juice tomorrow to work on another project. I have been doing some stamping so I'll have to come back and show you what I've been making. For now it's off to bed for me though, morning always seems to come early on Sundays!

(I'm too tired tonight to go through and link up each of the projects individually, so here's the link to my DST gallery where you can find them all if you're interested in seeing the credits, or you can check out my new Flikr gallery where you'll find the most recent projects. Okay, off to bed for reals this time!)

Nite!